Smoking pipe



June 19, 1956 c. M. BREED SMOKING PIPE Filed July 7, 1952 flmlm 8 M W. 7 9 saw A H; m 7 1M #1 w cw E ,7 5 w W United States Patent SMOKING PIPE Carroll M. Breed, Orlando, Fla.

Application July 7, 1952, Serial No. 297,553

3 Claims. (Cl. 131-203) This invention relates generally to tobacco smoking pipes and refers more particularly to improvements in smoking pipes equipped with means for trapping moisture.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pipe structure wherein smoke produced by burning tobacco within the bowl may be passed freely to the stern and wherein moisture is trapped in a manner such that there is very little possibility of moisture reaching the stem of the pipe. In accordance with this invention, smoke from the pipe bowl is compelled to travel through an upwardly inclined smoke passage in order to reach the stem, and a moisture collecting trap is provided at the lower end of the smoke passage. Hence, there is little tendency for moisture to flow up the smoke passage against the action of gravity and practically all of such moisture is collected by the trap.

It is another object of this invention to provide a plug removable from the pipe bowl through the top of the latter and having means which prevents the escape of tobacco particles into the trap or smoke passage and, at the same time, assures a relatively free passage for smoke from the bottom of the bowl to the stern even though the tobacco is exceptionally tightly compacted within the bowl.

It is still another object of this invention to provide the pipe with a cartridge of moisture absorbing material located ina bore extending inwardly from the outer end of the pipe body to the moisture trap and having the outer end closed by a member which is held in place by a removable stem for the pipe.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of a smoking pipe embodying the features of this invention with a portion of the filter broken away;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respectively sectional views taken on the lines 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figures 5 and 6 are respectively perspective views illustrating the closure plug shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Figure l and showing a tool which may be provided for removing the closure plug from the pipe bowl; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the closure for the absorbent cartridge receiving bore provided in the pipe body.

The smoking pipe selected for the purpose of illustrating the present invention comprises a body 10 and a stem 11. The body 10 has a bowl portion 12 and a shank portion 13 extending outwardly from the bowl at the bottom of the latter.

The stem 11 has an elongated bit portion 14 of suitable shape and is fashioned with a reduced cylindrical part 15 at the inner end of the bit portion. The cylindrical part 15 extends into a bore 16 formed in the shank 13 adjacent the top of the latter and having an internal diameter so Patented June 19, 1956 'ice related to the diameter of the cylindrical part 15 to provide a pressed fit of the cylindrical part in the bore 16. As shown in Figure l, the stem is formed with a smoke passage 17 which extends for the full length of the stem and opens into the interior of the bore 16.

The bowl 12 has an upwardly opening recess 18 which serves as a tobacco receiving compartment and communicates at the lower end with a bore 19 formed in the body 10 below the bore 16. It will be noted from Figure 1 that the bore 19 extends inwardly from the outer end of the shank 13 and terminates at the inner end at a point spaced below the bottom wall 20 of the tobacco compartment 18.

Communication between the tobacco compartment 18 and the inner end of the bore 19 is accomplished by a passage 21 which forms a vertical extension of the inner end of the bore 19. The inner end of the bore 19 adjacent the lower end of the passage 21 communicates with the bore 16 through a smoke passage 22 which is inclined in an upward direction from the bore 19 to the inner end of the bore 16. Thus the tobacco compartment 18 not only communicates with the bore 19 but also communicates with the smoke passage 17 formed in the stem 11.

With the above arrangement, it will be noted that smoke drawn from the tobacco compartment 18 is compelled to pass downwardly through the passage 21 into the inner end of the bore 19 and is then compelled to travel in an upward direction to the passage 17 in the stem 11. Attention is called to the fact that the inner end of the smoke passage 22 communicates with the bore 19 at the top of the latter adjacent the lower end of the passage 21. Actually, the passages 21 and 22 intersect at the top of bore 19 (see Figure 1). Accordingly, the smoke from passage 21 passes to passage 22 through only a very small portion of the moisture absorbing cartridge 23 described more fully hereinafter. Hence, an effective moisture trap is provided and at the same time the pipe is easy to draw. As a result, a moisture trap is provided between the inner end of the smoke passage 22 and the tobacco compartment 18. More particularly, moisture tends to drop by the action of gravity into the inner end of the bore 19 and there is very little tendency for any of this moisture to be drawn upwardly along the passage 22 to the smoke passage 17 in the stem 11.

In the present instance a cartridge 23 of moisture absorbing material is placed within the bore 19 through the outer end of the bore and if desired the cartridge may occupy the lower end of the smoke passage 22 in order to actually filter the smoke entering the passage 22. The cartridge 23 may be formed of any material having the desired moisture absorbing characteristics and is preferably of a nature to permit readily replacing the same when required.

The outer end of the bore 19 is closed by a plate 24 seated against the outer end of the shank 13 and having an embossed portion 25 at the lower end thereof which extends partially into the bore 19. The upper end of the plate is fashioned with an opening 26 registerable with the outer end of the bore 16 and adapted to receive the cylindrical reduced part 15 of the stem 11. The diameter of the opening 26 is less than the diameter of the inner end of the stem with the result that the plate 24 is clamped in place by the inner end of the bit.

In order to prevent particles of tobacco from escaping into the bore 19 through the vertical passage 21 a closure plug 27 is provided. The closure plug 27 comprises a bafile plate 28 and a retainer part 29. The baffle plate 28 and the retainer part 29 may either be formed separately and secured together or may be formed of one piece. In any case a plurality of spaced ribs 30 extend inwardly from the periphery of the bafile at the under side thereof and are adapted to seat on the bottom wall 20 of the compartment 18. The, ribs 39; are spaced from each oth r circumferentially of the baffle plate and coact with the bottom wall to provide restricted horizontal smoke passages 31 around the periphery of the plate. The passages 31 enable relatively free passage of smoke from the tobacco compartment 18 to the vertical passage 21 and at the same time reduce the escape of particles of tobacco into the passage 21.

The retainer part 29 extends downwardly from the center of the bafile plate 2.8 into the passage 21 and coacts with the wall of the passage 21 as shown in Fig. 3, to form vertical smoke passages 32. In the present instance, the retainer part 29 comprises arcuate sections 33 arranged back to back and having the marginal edges thereof frictionally engageable with the wall of the passage 21, to hold the plug 27 in place. As shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, the arcuate sections 33 and the ribs 38 are so arranged that the vertical passages 32 communicate with the hori zontal passages 31. In other words, the vertical passages 32 which are defined by the arcuate sections 33 and the wall of passage 21, connect into the respective horizontal passages 31 which are defined by the bottom wall 26 of the bowl, the ribs 30 and the baffle plate 28.

In order to enable ready removal of the plug 27 when it is desired to thoroughly clean the pipe, an upstanding rib 34 is formed on the top of the bafiie plate 28 and an opening 35 is formed in a vertically disposed rib 34 diametrically disposed on and perpendicular to the upper surface of the bafiie plate. in Figure 7, a suitable tool 36 is shown comprising a length of wire having a loop 37 at one end and having a hook 38 at the opposite end. The hook 38 may be extended into the opening 35 in the rib 34 on the baffle plate 28 so that removal of the plug 27 may be accomplished by merely exerting a slight upward pull on the tool 36.

Attention is again directed to Figure 1 wherein it will be noted that the smoke passages 31 although restricted in height extend for a substantial distance circumferentially of the baffle plate 28. This feature assures relatively free passage of smoke from the tobacco compartment 18 to the stem 11 and reduces the tendency of particles of tobacco from escaping into the smoke passages.

A further feature of this invention is to maintain the bowl 12 relatively cool even though the pipe is in continuous use. In the present instance, this is accomplished by forming air passages 40 in the bowl portion at opposite sides thereof, and by locating these passages in the part of the bowl 12 normally gripped by the user.

Wha I laim. as my inven ion is:

1. A smoking pipe comprising a body having an upwardly opening bowl and having a shank portion extending outwardly from said bowl, said shank portion having a bore extending inwardly from the outer end thereof to a point below the bottom of said bowl, a vertical passage connecting the bottom of said bowl to the inner end of said bore, a smoke passage in said body extending inwardly from the outer end of the said shank portion at an elevation above said bore and having the inner portion slanted downwardly and inwardly toward the axis of said bore, the inner nd of said slanted portion communicating with the inner end portion of said bore at the top of the latter and also intersecting the lower end of said vertical passage, absorbent material located in said bore, and a stem having a part at the inner end thereof removably secured in the outer end of said smoke passage and hav ing a passage therethrough communicating with said smoke passage.

2. The smoking pipe defined in claim 1 in which said absorbent material is removable from said bore through the outer end of the latter, and a plate having an opening adapted to receive said stem part, said plate being removably clamped to the outer end of said shank portion by said stem, and said plate having an imperforate part extending over the outer end of said bore to provide a closure for the latter.

3. The smoking pipe defined in claim 2 in which said smoke passage constitutes the sole means for admitting smoke generated in the bowl to the passage in said stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 874,459 Underwood Dec. 24, 1907 1,292,648 Reynolds Jan. 28, 1919 1,373,849 Webber Apr. 5, 1921 2,038,194 Pedery Apr. 21, 1936 2,129,129 Groulx Sept. 6, 1938 2,251,654 Bergeron Aug. 5, 1941 2,561,751 Partin July 24, 1951 2,580,974 Sutter Ian. 1, 1952 2,588,447 Winden Mar. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 93 Great Britain 1895 14,724 Great Britain 1904 18,473 Great Britain 1896 271,005 Great Britain May 19, 1927 462,743 Great Britain 1935 "Fri 

